Chris Kore’s digital art seamlessly merges imagination with technology, creating immersive experiences that push the boundaries of what we perceive as real. Her innovative approach to blending different media challenges our understanding of the digital world and invites us to explore new, uncharted creative realms. Chris Kore will speak at Forward Festival Berlin this August.

 

Was there a defining moment in your life when you knew you wanted to be an artist?

 I can’t say there was one specific moment when I realized I wanted to be an artist. Creativity has always been a part of who I am. I’ve had a wild imagination for as long as I can remember, and my parents still have stacks of my early drawings from when I started sketching at age two. Growing up in a creative family was a huge luck – they supported everything I tried, whether it was art, dancing, or music. That encouragement gave me the confidence to explore and express myself freely.

It still took me some time to figure out what truly drives me, though. I initially studied architecture at university and later pursued graphic design in an art academy after graduating. What I do now is something completely different, but those experiences taught me to think creatively from different perspectives. Looking back, I see how all of it shaped the artist I’ve become today.

 

 

What initially drew you to working with immersive media and digital art?

I can actually trace a clear turning point in my journey with immersive media and digital art. In 2016, I visited the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, and it completely blew my mind. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more inspired or impressed. It was like something inside me shifted – a realization of how art, science, and technology could intersect in ways I had never imagined.

Before that, I was in a discovery phase, trying out different tools, mediums and directions but never feeling fully obsessed with any of them. That festival changed everything. It opened my eyes to the endless possibilities of new media art, immersive experiences, and experimental electronic music. It was as if my inner explorer and artist converged into one. From there on, I was hooked on trying and searching for my own new ways to fuse art and technology.

 

 

You describe yourself as a “digital dreamer.” How do you define this term, and how does it manifest in your work?

Since I started my practice, I’ve always found it hard to label what I do. Words like “multidisciplinary,” “digital,” “new media,” “generative,” or “3D” all fit in some way, but none of them fully capture the scope of my work. Today, with so many tools and methods blending together – crossfading, really – it feels almost pointless to put a single label on what you do.

That’s why I came up with the term “digital dreamer.” It feels abstract enough to reflect the open-ended, evolving nature of my practice while staying true to the essence of what I create. For me, it’s about dreaming with the help of digital tools – using technology as a medium to bring imagination to life. It’s less about sticking to one discipline and more about exploring in a way that feels limitless.

 

 

Do you have a particular ritual or environment that helps you get into the creative zone?

When it comes to the initial phase of the creative process – coming up with ideas – it’s almost always late evening or nighttime for me. In a way, those quiet hours really help me focus and my brain gets more productive. I usually find music or a set that resonates with the project’s mood, grab a pencil and a stack of paper, and just let my mind wander. That’s my favorite part because it’s completely open-ended – no rules, no boundaries, just freestyling and capturing the raw energy of the idea. That’s when the magic really happens.

I also find that ideas often strike when I’m out walking – usually fast-paced, through parks or the city. There’s something about the rhythm of moving that clears my mind and creates space for ideas to surface naturally. It feels like my thoughts untangle themselves while I’m on the move, often leading to unexpected concepts or perspectives.

 

When you start a project, do you have a clear vision of the final outcome, or do you let the process guide you?

When I start a project, I rarely have a crystal-clear vision of the final outcome. I usually begin with a loose, blurred direction – an idea of the mood or concept I want to explore – but I leave plenty of space for the process to guide me.

Experimenting and creating in the moment often leads to unexpected discoveries, and I’ve found that the best ideas and solutions emerge as the work unfolds. In fact, having a vivid, fixed image of the final outcome can be a trap. It can limit you, keeping you from exploring unexpected ideas, happy accidents, or even “bugs” that might end up being the highlight of the project. For me, it’s about keeping the process open and letting the work evolve naturally. That’s what makes it exciting.

 

 

What’s the strangest source of inspiration you’ve ever used for a project?

It’s hard to say what’s considered strange in the creative field these days because inspiration can come from absolutely anything. For me, the most surreal and unsettling source of inspiration came in 2022, during the first days of the war escalation in Ukraine. I recorded the sound of air raid sirens from my balcony, and that haunting sound became the foundation for a personal project. It’s impossible to fully describe the deep, dark, and overwhelming emotions that everyone was, and still is, going through here. I wouldn’t wish for anyone to experience this. But that particular moment led me to create an animation called My 7 Days of War, which I sold as an NFT to raise funds for support.

 

What message or feeling do you hope audiences take away from your work?

All I want from the audience, whether they’re seeing my work in real-time or on their screens, is for them to pause for a moment – to be drawn in by the colors, movements, shapes, or the overall weirdness. I want them to feel something, anything – whether it’s confusion, excitement, nostalgia, annoyance, or even curiosity.

We’re all so caught up in this constant cycle of running, scrolling, texting, and consuming content. Life feels increasingly automated, and I think that pulls us further away from the raw feeling of being alive. I believe art has the power to disrupt that flow, to trick our brains and transport us – even for a second – to another dimension of thought or emotion. If someone sees my work and stops for a second to think, What is happening here?, then I feel like I’ve done my job.

 

 

In your opinion, how does the rapid development of AI and deep learning impact the art world, and how should artists navigate this evolving landscape?

Whenever a new tool emerges, it’s a revolution – one that disrupts what’s stable and familiar. AI is no different. Its impact on the art world forces us to reexamine boundaries and ask an age-old but always relevant question: What is art? It challenges us to think about the essence of creativity, intent, and the human touch in ways we’ve never confronted before.

Even as AI evolves, traditional art forms still coexist alongside it. Will algorithms replace artists? No. Will they automate certain processes? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean artists should panic or abandon their craft. AI is an opportunity – a tool to explore, question, and push the boundaries of what’s possible.

I work with AI a lot, and what fascinates me most is treating it as a collaborator. By embracing its quirks, glitches, and unpolished edges, you can uncover strange, unexpected results. However, with every update, owning corporations tend to polish, censor, and commercialize these algorithms, limiting access to those uncanny, experimental territories that make working with AI truly interesting.

 

What’s a personal milestone you’re most proud of, inside or outside of your career?

There’ve been a few milestones, but a particularly personal one was creating an artwork campaign for the Boiler Room World Tour 2024 and performing my live visuals on their stage at the DGTL festival in Amsterdam. It was such a special moment because my own shift toward electronic music began after watching DARKSIDE’s Boiler Room session in New York back in 2013. That performance is still one of my all-time favorites and was a major turning point for me. Discovering electronic music back then became one of my greatest passions. At the time, I could only dream of simply being in the audience for something like Boiler Room. I never imagined that one day I’d be creating and performing there myself. Moments like that remind me that, truly, anything in life is possible.

 

 

What’s a dream collaboration or project you’d love to take on?

The only thing I truly wish for is to always have the energy and inner fire to create and make art for as long as it brings me joy. Whether it’s a small, experimental indie project or a large, commercially successful collaboration, the value of any project comes down to the desire and passion behind it. For me, it’s not about the scale or fame – it’s about feeling that spark that makes me want to bring something to life.

 

 

Credits:
© Chris Kore